Gender-Specific profiles of cardiovascular disease in type 2 diabetes mellitus: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Context: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a chronic macrovascular complication of diabetes mellitus (DM). Factors unique to a group of patients might imply specific differences in the manifestation and/or severity of type 2 DM (T2DM) and CVD. Increasing our knowledge of these factors is critical in designing more robust preventive and/or management approaches for such groups. Aims: The aim of this work is to investigate the gender differences among diabetic patients with and without CVD. Settings and Design: T2DM patients (64 men and 50 women) were recruited and subdivided according to the presence or absence of CVD as a complication to diabetes. Subjects and Methods: Biochemical measurements (glucose, insulin, HbA1c, lipid profile, and liver and kidney function tests), complete blood count, prothrombin and activated partial thromboplastin times, platelet aggregation, tissue factor pathway inhibitor, and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) were assessed. Platelet activation was assessed by flow cytometry and aggregation assay. Statistical Analysis Used: Microsoft Excel and SPSS were used for data analysis. Results: Among the assessed parameters, changes in anthropometry, platelet indices, and PAI-1 were detected. Age, body weight, body mass index, and systolic blood pressure (BP) were significantly higher in women with CVD than in those without. Conclusions: The critical association between patients' weight and BP and the development of CVD particularly in diabetic women emphasizes on the need to intensify the efforts for better management of obesity and hypertension specifically among diabetic Saudi women to minimize their CVD risk.